(1) Field Of The Invention:
This invention pertains to railway passenger vehicles and in particular to sliding doors which are used to open and close off compartments, washrooms and the like. Specifically, the disclosure is directed to a threshold which includes a seal that moves between a flat position to provide a smooth surface at the door opening to an upright position in contact with the lower portion of the door in a sealing position.
(2) Description Of The Prior Art:
While the prior art has recognized the problems involved in guiding the lower portion of a sliding door and the additional problem of keeping clean any track or depression in the threshold used to guide the lower portion of the door, several attempts have been made and which are improved upon by the present disclosure. Specifically, the Stermac U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,706 (1973) and the Gatton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,417 (1971), show configurations used to both guide and seal the lower portion of the sliding door. While these patents have attempted to solve guiding and sealing problems with the structure that both guides and seals simultaneously, such structures have not met with widespread acceptance because of close dimensional requirements which must be held to insure the required sealing without interfering with smooth movement of the door.
The present disclosure shows a configuration for not only guiding but providing a sealing member which serves a dual purpose function to keep the guide track free from obstructions and debris and to move from a horizontal to a generally upright position to seal off the bottom of the door when it is in a closed position.